Refusing to Repent

 

By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Jeremiah 5:1-13

 

Jeremiah 5:3

O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth?
You have struck them down,
    but they felt no anguish;
you have consumed them,
    but they refused to take correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
    they have refused to repent.

(ESV)

 

The world lost a great conservative voice this week with the passing of Rush Limbaugh.  Those that listen to Rush were praying for him as he battled the ravages of lung cancer and yet still fought for and expressed conservative values and his faith in God.  While we knew the day of his passing would come, it always seems to come sooner than expected.  My prayers are with his family as they grieve the loss of their beloved and pray for God’s peace to fill the void left in their hearts.  This blog will be part of continuing the fight to voice conservative and Godly values and truth and I pray others will join this fight for our fight is more than a political fight against flesh and blood but also a fight against forces of evil that war against Godliness (Ephesians 6:12). 

 

This fight is nothing new and is at the root of the battle faced by Israel and Judah during the time of Jeremiah.  The passage in Jeremiah 5:1-13 defines the battle faced by Israel and Judah as it outlines the challenge to find any remnant of Godliness, the consequences of ungodliness, and God’s correction for his people, and not their complete destruction.  From this passage we see,

 

1)      Challenge (Jeremiah 5:1-5) – Interestingly, this passage begins with God issuing a challenge to Jeremiah to find anyone in Jerusalem who seeks truth and does justice so he may pardon her.  It is interesting to note that the scripture says pardon her and not the man seeking truth and justice, indicating that if Jeremiah had found such a man, Jerusalem, Judah, and Israel would have received a pardon from God.  Instead of finding a truthful and just man, Jeremiah found people saying “As the Lord lives” who were swearing falsely based upon their continued rebellion against God (Jeremiah 5:1-2).  However, Jeremiah continues his search, believing he may be speaking with unlearned individuals who do not know the way of the Lord and the justice of their God (Jeremiah 5:4).  Jeremiah then inquires of the learned and educated in Jerusalem believing he may find a man of Godly truth and justice among them, only to discover they too have broken their bond with Godliness and act with hypocrisy.  This spirit of hypocrisy among the learned and educated in Jerusalem was still present in the time of Christ and was Jesus’ main argument against the Pharisees and Sadducees during his ministry (Luke 13:10-17; Matthew 15:1-9; 23:1-36).  It is crucial for the Church today, and especially those in leadership, to search their hearts and repent of any hypocrisy in their lives. 

2)      Consequences (Jeremiah 5:6-9) – The failure to find someone of Godly truth and justice in Jerusalem means there will be consequences for the rebellion and hypocrisy present in Jerusalem.  The consequences of rebellion against God should have been evident to the educated in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 28) but conveniently ignored with them believing there would be no consequences from God for their continued rebellion (Jeremiah 5:11-12).  When God’s people search their hearts and the Holy Spirit convicts them of sin in their lives, they must repent of their sin and not use God’s mercy and grace as an excuse to continue in sin but instead walk in newness of life, united with God through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:1-11; 10:9-10). 

3)      Correction (Jeremiah 5:10-13) – Like a good parent, God must correct his children when they rebel and disobey his direction in their lives.  When one has continued in their rebellion despite many warnings, as has occurred for Israel and Judah, the correction may seem severe, but God’s correction is not designed to destroy his children but for their good (Jeremiah 29:11).  God is not going to bring total destruction to Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 5:10), but enough destruction to bring them to repentance.  Israel and Judah are about to suffer a period of separation from God as they God sends them into exile and removes from the Promised Land and Jerusalem, the place where God dwelt on earth in the time of Jeremiah.  While we now live in a time when people can enjoy the presence of God in any location for God dwells in the hearts of those expressing faith in Him, sin can separate us from intimacy with God.  It is therefore crucial for God’s people to repent of any sin the Holy Spirit reveals in their life to maintain intimacy with God (1 John 1:9). 

 

The sin and rebellion in Jerusalem have reached the point where there are none seeking truth among both the poor and great (Jeremiah 5:1-5).  The sin in Jerusalem is not just one specific act of sin but an attitude of sin that cheapens the grace of God, believing there are no consequences for sin (Jeremiah 5:11-13).  This is not a reliance on the grace of God for salvation but the use of God’s grace as an excuse to continue living in sin.  What Israel lacks is an attitude of repentance for sin, or a desire to turn from sin, and relying on, and not using, the grace of God to save them.  My prayer is that God’s people in the Church would have an attitude of repentance and quickly repent of any sin in their lives (1 John 1:9) so there are no hindrances to their prayers.  We are engaged in a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12) and must pray at all times without any obstacles to our prayers due to sin in our lives. 

 

While the passing of great people like Rush Limbaugh leaves a void in our lives, we must allow it to motivate us to continue the battle so revival can sweep over our lives and our nations.  I urge everyone to continue this fight by praying continually for revival in our world and living Godly lives in an ungodly world.  May God bless everyone reading this post.